Costs of 2027 Military World Games in Charlotte Draw Scrutiny Ahead of Expected City Funding Request
Charlotte is a city in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Charlotte, North Carolina, will host an international event coming to the United States for the first time, and its costs and use of public money are drawing scrutiny. The Assembly reported on October 20 that the 2027 Military World Games are scheduled for June 25 to July 4, 2027, in Charlotte and other locations in the Carolinas, with upward of 10,000 active-duty military athletes invited from about 140 countries. Ike Belk, co-founder of the organizing U.S. Performance Center (USPC), has said total costs could reach $80 million.
In August, state lawmakers placed a $25 million allocation for the games into a budget "technical corrections" bill, bypassing the usual review process of the major events fund. A state internal audit of a previous $25 million state award to the organization found that about one in four of those dollars were misspent, including payments to its own for-profit company, a five-figure donation to a partisan charity, and more than $13,000 in late fees paid to the IRS.
Organizers are expected in November to formally ask the City of Charlotte to contribute millions of dollars; at an August council committee meeting, a council member already questioned the need for a $4.5 million city contribution. UNC Charlotte is confirmed as the primary athlete village, with approximately 76% of Charlotte-based activities to take place on campus, and $7.5 million of the state allocation specified to reserve the university's facilities. Critics note that the $160 million visitor-spending estimate cited by organizers was built with data provided by the USPC itself. (GSM, based on The Assembly)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
